The United States, Japan, and South Korea reaffirmed their “resolute” commitment to achieving North Korea’s “complete denuclearization,” according to a joint statement issued Saturday. The statement came after newly appointed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Japan’s top diplomat Takeshi Iwaya on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. “The Secretary and Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs),” according to the statement.

“They expressed their serious concerns over and the need to address together the DPRK’s nuclear and missile programs, malicious cyber activities including cryptocurrency thefts, and increasing military cooperation with Russia,” the document continued. The three issued a “strong warning” that they “will not tolerate any provocations or threats to their homelands,” pledging to keep and deepen international sanctions against Pyongyang. They also stated that they were dedicated to “the immediate resolution of the issues of abductees, detainees, and unrepatriated prisoners of war, as well as the issue of separated families.” North Korea, with its continuous nuclear weapons program, has been a huge thorn in the side of the United States for a long time, despite being mostly cut off from the rest of the world diplomatically and economically and under a bevy of sanctions, North Korea with its ongoing nuclear weapons program has been a major thorn in the side of the United States for years

President Donald Trump, who had a rare series of meetings with Kim Jong Un during his first term in office, has said he will reach out again to the North Korean leader, calling Kim a “smart guy.” Despite Trump’s diplomatic overtures, North Korea said in January that its nuclear program would continue “indefinitely.” Pyongyang also said earlier this month it would not tolerate any “provocation” by the United States after Rubio called it a “rogue state” in a radio interview.
Pyongyang also stated earlier this month that it would not tolerate any “provocation” from the United States after Rubio labeled it a “rogue state” in a radio interview. It also condemned a visit by a US nuclear submarine to a naval facility in South Korea this month as a “hostile military act.” A summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi in 2019 failed due to disagreements about sanctions relief and what Pyongyang was willing to give up in exchange.